Pad and method of making same



l. E. MUsKAT ETAL PAD AND METHOD oF MAKING SAME Filed May 23, 1955 Feb. 21, 1961 2,912,554 PAD AND METHOD or MAKING SAME Irving E. Muskat, Miami, Fla., and Joseph J. Klein, Glencoe, Ill., assignors to Fiber Bond Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed May 23, 1955, Ser.lNo. 510,408

9 Claims. (Cl. 117-76) l Y This invention relates to a foamed resin, ber-reinforced pad and to a method of making same. It also relates to a foamable resin, fiber-reinforced porous batt and to the method of making the same.

The pad of the present invention fibrous batt matrix having a labyrinth of inter-communicating voids between the fibers and a foamed resin coating about the individual fibers but not completely filling the voids, so that the resulting unitary structure has the spring and resiliency of an al1 foam rubber pad and retains substantially, or at least to some extent, the void formation of the' matrix. The resulting pad is thus porous to air or other gaseous bodies and even to water.

The batt matrix is made preferably of fibers whichare held by mechanical interengagement and by a bonding agent in an uncompressed, three-dimensional, random arrangement throughout the length, width and depth of the batt. In the preferred batt matrix some of the fibers extend transversely throughout the depth of the batt and tie the batt into an integral structure.v In this batt matrix the fibers are pre-bonded together substantially only at their points of contact by a suitable adhesive, preferably by an elastic adhesive such as rubber. If desired, a batt matrix of unbonded fibers arranged in random arrangement with intercommunicating voids between the fibers, may be foamed with resin as herein described and simultaneously bonded into an integral structure. bonded batt matrix has a softness, resilience, loft and strength which lends itself to being foamed as herein ,described with a resinous, rubber or other foam without the aid of extraneous restraining 'means such as a mold, and with retention of the loft. The resulting foamed resin, fiber reinforced pad is more resilient than the batt matrix and is substantially stronger, being capable of such rough use as a pad underlay for rugs.

In accordance with the method of the present invention, a bonded or unbonded batt matrix of randomly arranged fibers having intercommunicating voids between the fibers, is impregnated with a foamable, but not foamed, resin to coat the individual fibers of the matrix without completely filling the voids therein. This may be done, for example, by dipping the batt into a liquid foamable resin composition and squeezing out the excess resin between pressure rollers, or it may be done by lightly spraying the fibers of the batt with foamable resin. The resincontaining matrix is then heated to cause the resin to foam about the fibers of the batt and form the pad of the present invention. In accordance with the process of the present invention the foaming of the resin about the individual fibers takes place substantially simultaneously. There is no progressive foaming of the resin through the batt matrix, as in the prior art, and, consequently, the fiber and void formation of the batt matrix is substantially maintained in the final product.

By employing a batt of fibers held in random, threedimensional relationship and bonded together by a suitable adhesive substantially only at their spaced points The preice ties of pads made solely of foam rubber or foamed resins. In such a batt matrix a minimum amount of foamable resin can, desirably, be used, sufficient to coat the fibers but short of the amount which would fill completely the voids of the matrix and destroy the porosity thereof. A pad can thus be manufactured at but a fraction of the cost of pads made of foam rubber or resin foams, as in the priorYart.

A further advantage in making pads by simultaneouslyv foaming the resin about the individual fibersin accord ance with the present invention is the ability to control the thickness of the pad to rather closely held tolerances comprises a bonded of contact, it is possibleto obtaina pad havingthe quali- Y' without employing a mold or other means heretofore required to control the resin The pad of the present invention has substantially the same thickness as that of the batt matrix before addition of the resin foam. This is a surprising result for it was anticipated that the increase in volume of the resin during the foaming thereof would cause the fibrous matrix toA expand to a thickness greater than its original thickness.'

The pre-bonded batt matrix does not expand to any appreciable ous in allowing for the manufacture of pads of desired thickness by the simple expedient of controlling the initial thickness of the matrix.

Pads made vin accordance with the present invention have a wide variety of uses as cushioning materials, filters,

insulating materials and the like. The relative rigidity or resiliency of the pad maylbe varied as desired upon-proper selection of the type of fibers employed in the batt matrixv and the amount and nature of the resin foam employed. It will be manifest that a resin foam havingsponge-like qualities will be employed in a pad used as a rug cushion, for example, whereas a more rigid resin foam would be employed more likely in a pad used for filtering or insulation purposes.

It is important that the batt matrix of randomly arranged, preferably pre-bonded fibers be sufficiently re-l silient to return to its original loft after compression.:v

Otherwise, any compression of the b att during impregnation with a foamable resin and manipulation thereof in the manufacturing procedure, may cause matting or balling of the fibers of the batt. Such matting or balling may preclude obtaining a pad with a resin foam extending uniformly about the individual bers of the pad and the thickness of the pad will be difiicult to control.

It has been found in accordance with vthe present invention that the resin foam grows around the individual fibers and forms a lattice work about the fibers with even. distribution of the foam in the pad. The pad as described herein has a structural stability, resilience and loft heretofore unobtainable with prior art foamed resin, fiber-reinforced pads and retains these properties and the.

original thickness of the batt matrix even after repeated. compressions for extended periods of time. Additionally,

the pad is porous, being characterized by a labyrinth ofI intercommunicating voids, albeit of smaller Size than the voids in the batt matrix.

A preferred illustrative embodiment of a pad con-j structed in accordance with the present invention and which incorporates the above mentioned advantages and'. other advantages is shown in the accompanying drawings,

throughout the depth of the batt;

f Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail view of apor- Patented- Feb. 21, 19614v foam during its expansion.

extent and this fact is particularly advantage! g sectional view of the batt, illus-' trating how certain of the fibers extend transversely-Q tion of a pad made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged view showing the manner in which the resin foam is adheredabout the individual Fig. 7 is a partialdiagrammatic view showing an` alter-- native method of impregnating the battl with foamable resin.

Referring tothe drawings, .the brous batt 9 which forms the matrix for the'pad is shown in Fig. 1. It is made withY non-mattingbers 10 adhered in three-dimensional, random arrangement substantially only at the pointsof intersection of the bers. The bers preferably are curled or crimped, but straight bers of the same type may be used. It is also preferred that the bers be coarse, to maintain the loftV of the batt. :We have found .that satisfactory bers are synthetic bers such as nylon, rayon, cellulose acetate, acrylic ber (a copolymer of vinyl chloride and acrylonitrile) commercially available under the trademark Dynel,' acrylic ber (formed from a polymer of acrylonitrile) commercially available under the trademark Orlon, polyvinylidene chloride-polyvinyl chloride copolymer ber commercially available under the trademark Saran, and the like. Nonorganic bers such as glass ber, commercially available under thev trademark Fiberglas, may also be used as may naturalbers such as wool, cottonY or'hogs hair. The above mentioned fibers may be used alone or mixed with each other.

'The fibers arek preferablyV of Various lengths, from about one-half inch to' two and one-half inches, and are intermingled in random arrangement so that they lie at various angles throughout the length, width and depth of the batt, to form a three-dimensional batt with the individual fibers `contacting each other at their separate points of contactthroughout the batt. In the preferred batt matrix illustrated in the drawings, some of the bers extend transverely throughout the depth of the batt to insure structural stability of the batt and for this reason the length of someof the fibers should exceed the desired thickness of the batt. For example, to make a batt one inch thick, it is preferred thatr at least 50 percent of the fibers employed be about one and one-half inches in length; Relatively few pairs ofindividual bers contact at more than one point, and each ber of the batt contacts a plurality of other bers at spaced points which may be in the same or in difierentplanes.

f The'batt is sprayed or otherwise coated lightly with anelastic adhesive on either one or both surfaces, preferably 'bothy surfaces. The amount of adhesive is suicient to coat at least the outer fibers of the batt so that they adhere to each other and to the transversely extending fibers atA their points of contact only, as indicated at 11. The spaces between the bers should be substantially free of adhesive so as not to interfere with the formation of resin foam about the individual bers, as herein described. The small amount of the adhesive which passes through the interstices between the outer bers wets the underlying fibers and causes them to adhere at their points of contact. Apart from incidental impregnation of some bers with adhesive, the bers are` in the. main unimpregnated and hence retain their natural springiness*r and impartr to. the batt the desired resilience and loft.

The spaced joining of the three-dimensional, random arrangement of the, bers and the transversely extending bers prevents matting and re-orientation of the bers due to externally applied forces. Also, the elastic adhesive appliedy thereto substantiallyiincreases the resiliency ofthe batt and provides additional body which aids in supporting the batt when, the pad is being made and which `also cooperates withthe resinffoam toiprovide a "2,972,554 Y A n more efficient unitary structure after the pad is complete. Batts which are pre-bonded with an elastic adhesive make pads which are greatly superior to those which have not been bonded with an adhesive. The bonded batts are self-supporting and have great structural strength so that when used as a matrix with a foaming resin, they will restrain the foaming action without a mold or other restraining means. Furthermore, the unbonded batts tend to mat when compressed and the thickness ofthe pad may be unpredictably variable. However, an unbonded batt may be used as the matrix, if desired, as hereinabove pointed out.

Any elastic adhesive material such as natural rubber,

' synthetic rubber, or adhesive resinous or other plastic material may be used to'bond the bersof the batt matrix. The adhesive material may be applied in solution or in emulsion form. In the case of either natural or synthetic rubber, for example, it is applied in the form of an aqueous suspension or latex, with or without vulcanizing agents, and the adhesive coating is then dried to precipitate the rubber. Any conventional, commercially available, natural rubber latex may be used in accordance with the invention, alone or in combination with a synthetic rubber latex. A suitable synthetic rubber latex which may be used as the adhesive is the rubbery copolymer of butadiene and acrylonitrile sold under the trademark CarbopoL lf desired, there may be incorporated into the natural rubber latex or the mixed natural and synthetic rubber latices small amounts, about 0.25 to 3.0%, of a resin which serves to add quick tack and strength to the adhesive. Examples of resinous adhesives that may be used include solutions of polyvinyl chloride or'polyvinyl acetate or copolymers thereof in organic solvents and powdered phenolformaldehyde resins.

The adhesive applied to the bers is dried to a nonitacky state, either naturally or artificially, without compacting the batt. This prevents the adhesive coating on any fiber from adhering to any other ber except at the points where the fibers are in contact with each other in the uncompressed, three-dimensional, random arrangement in which the batt is initially formed. If the batt is compressed after the adhesive is dried, the fibers which are brought into contact by the compression will not adhere to each other, and the `resiliency of the bers will cause them to spring back to their original positions when the compressing force is released. Y

The resilience and loft-retaining qualities of the batt are due primarily to the random, three-dimensional ar-v rangement of the fibers, and to the thin, elastic adhesive coating which fastens the batt bers together only at their spaced points of contact. The use of crimped or curled` fibers increases the resilience of the batt over that attainedv with straight'bers. As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, a cross Section of a batt formed from'crimped or curled fibers appears as a series of bridges in all directions and planes, thus giving greater loft than the same amount of straight fibers. The use of fibers of different lengths, but wherein at least 50 percent of the fibers are longer than the depth of the batt, provides a better ber distribution throughout` the batt and also provides more points of contact.

The random, three-dimensional arrangement'of uncom* pressed. fibers` and .the cross tying bers which extend transversely through the depth of the ba t are important where fit1 is desired to obtain a porous pad of substantially the same thickness as the batt matrix. Adhesive coated fibrous batting has been made in the past, but this batting included bersarranged'randomly gener ly along only two dimensions, that is. in single planes or layers, and, with these ba-tts, more'or less matting and compression ofthe bers takes place during bonding. In contrast, the arrangement offbers of the preferred batts used herein are'random in all directions throughout the length, Width, and' depth of the batt, with some `of the bers llA extending transversely throughoutthe depth yof the batt to furtherhelp to tie, thebatt into an integral, unitary 'cordance with the present foam is needed to achieve comparable pads.

ftional voids 14 surrounded by resin, of expansion of the gaseousV blowing agent `ableresin during the foaming operation.

quantity of structure. There is no matting and compression of the bers. By employing batts wherein the fibers are in random, three-dimensional arrangement as described, it is possible to make pads of uniform thickness, comparable to the thickness of the batt matrix, with surprisingly small quantities of resin foam.

The batt matrix above described is impregnated with a suitable foamable resin to coat the individual bers. The excess resin, namely, that lling the voids, is squeezed out. The resin-impregnated matrix is then heated to a foaming or curing temperature of between about 200 to 400 F. for a suitable period of time, to simultaneously foam the resin about the individual bers. When the resin is incorporated in a batt matrix of the present invention and caused to foam, the foam grows substantially simultaneously along and around the individual bers and 10A and the resin is supported by the bers both during the growth period of the foaming operation and after the resin has been set. With resin foams per se, where the foam is self-supporting, it is necessary to employ relatively large quantities of resin foam to achieve desired thicknesses. By employing a batt matrix in acinvention, much less resin Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the foamed resin12 surrounds the individual bers 10 and 10a and there are intercommunicating voids 13 in the areas unoccupied by bers. There are a plurality of addiwhich are the result in the foam- If a resin is caused to foam Without a batt matrix, the only voids will be those formed in the resin by the expansion of the With the present invention, a substantially smaller resin foam is needed to form a pad and a lighter weight pad is thus obtained. This pad has a compression set comparable to pads made from resin foam alone, but'it is more stable and lighter in weight and gas.

-cheaper to make because of the smaller quantities of resin It is substantially more tear-resistant' foam employed. than al1-resin foam pads.

The foaming resins which may be used in accordance `with the present invention are well known to the art. The foamable resin may be either thermoplastic or thermosetting depending upon the ultimate use for the n- Y ished product. It is preferred that the foamable resin be in liquid form, for example, aqueous emulsion form, for ease of incorporation into the brous batt prior to the heating and foaming step. Plasticizers and stabilizers may be added to the foamable resin in accordance with known techniques to adjust the texture of the completed product to that desired.

Suitable foaming resin compositions are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 2,577,279, 2,498,621, 2,572,568, 2,623,- 023 and 2,461,942. Other foamable resin compositions may, of course, be used. These compositions, as is known, contain blowing agents which engender gases upon being heated to proper temperatures, such as carbon dioxide, ammonium carbonate, potassium carbonate,

guanidine carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, diazo aminobenzine, diazo aminotoluene, diazo di-isobutyronitrile, hydrogen peroxide and the like. In practice the blowing agents are mechanically admixed Awith suitable plastics .or mixtures thereof -such as synthctic rubbers like butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers;

.synthetic plastic materials like polyvinyl chloride and copolymers of vinyl chloride and other polymerizable monomers such as vinyl acetate; alkyd resins; phenolformaldehyde resins and the like. Foamable vresins are commercially available in the market, one Such product, which contains polyvinyl chloride, is sold under the name Vinylafoam by lnterchemical Corporation. The

particularfoamable material employed will obviously depend upon the physical characteristics desired ,in lthe iuished product.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a continuous method ofmaking the preferred pads in accordance with the invention. The bonded batt matrix 9, having vthe construction described, is passed into a tank 15 containing a suitable foamable resin `16. The resin-impregnated batt matrix is then passed through squeeze rollers 17 which squeeze out excess resin, namely, that lling the voids. The pressure between the rollers is adjusted to retain the `desired amount of resin in the matrix and the excess resin falls back into the tank 15. Generally, about l to l0 parts of foamable Iresin composition, by weight, to 1 part by weight of the batt, is left in the batt. It is preferred to leave from about 2 to 5 parts by weight of foamable resin compositiontol part by weight of the batt, in the batt. n

The resiliency of the bonded batt matrix is suchthat even after it is impregnated with foamable resin, it springs backto its original thickness after emerging from the squeeze rollers. The resin-impregnated battmatrix is then carried on a conveyor belt 18 into a suit-ableoven 19 where it is heated to the foaming temperature andthe resin is caused to foam and grow along and about the individual bers 10 and 10A of the batt. No mold or other restraining means is employed as the` resin-impregnated batt passes through the oven. The Ilength of time that the product remains in voven '19 depends upon the speed at which it passes through the oven and will vary with the resin foam employed. After the pad emerges from the oven, it passes into acooling chamber 20 where it is cooled to room temperature by any suitable means, for example,`byv jets of cool air. The nished pad Z1 emerges from the cooling' chamber and has substantially the same thickness as the batt matrix 9 before its impregnation with `the foamable resinous material.

It is preferred to dip the batt matrix into the resi-i1 pregnation is the simplest and results in an even distribution of resin foam within the batt matrix. Other suit able manners of impregnation vmay be used, however. The resin may be spread on the matrix with a doctor blade, or it may be sprayed on the batt in the manner shown in Fig. 7 by means ofsuitable spraying means 22. It is more diicult to obtain complete and uniform impregnation by spraying, but in some cases it is desirable tospray only the surfaces of the batt matrix. A pad formed by such spraying is illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the resin is caused to foam along the bers, especially those adjacent the surfaces of the batt matrix, which enables the making of `a paid with still less resin foam than one which is completely impregnated with resin foam.

The following are examples-of pads made in accordance with the present invention:

Example 1 .sure rollers so that about 3 parts by weight of resin composition were retained in each part by weight of the batt. The batt was then passed through an oven and heated to 300 F. for fourvminutes, after which it was cooled by jets of air. A pad 1A" thick was obtained.

lExample 2 A 1" thick batt made of Orlon bers 11/2 long, but otherwise similar to the bonded batt of Example-A1,. was treated in the manner described in Example l except that the batt was impregnated with four parts by weight of Vinyafoam for each part by Weight of the batt, and the impregnated batt was heated to 350,F. The resulting-pad was 1" thick.

forced, unitary porous pad in Whichthe Example `3 l2 parts byvweight of meta-toluene di-isocyanate was added to 3 parts by Weight of aresin made '.by 'reacting 4-mols of glycerol, 42.5 mols of adipic acid and I/za mol phthalic anhydride, to make a foamable resin. 3 parts by Weight of this foamable resin Werefincorporated in 1 part by weight of the batt in Example l, and the impregnated batt was heated to 300 F. until foaming wascompleted. A pad 1A thick was obtained.

Example 4 The batt'of Example 1 was impregnated with iive times its Weight of la composition containing 1 part of ammonium bicarbonate and l parts of alkyd resin prepared by reacting 6 mo'ls of diethylene glycol, 5 mols of fumaric acid, 1 mol of sebacie acid and 10 parts of bis allkyl lactoearbonate in the presence of 0.15 part of benzoyl peroxide. The impregnated 'batt Was heated Vto 250 F. until complete polymerization and foaming had been obtained.

In accordance with the present invention'thebers of a batt matrix may be coated with a foamable resinas herein described and the coated matrix 'may be dried at a relatively low temperature, below the foamingtemperature, without foaming the foamable coating. There is thus obtained a porous batt matrix having the individual 'fibers coated With a dried, at least dry to the touch, foamable material. This product can be sold as such 'and can be foamed at the desired time by 'simply heating it to the foaming temperature. For example, it may be foamed in situ between surfacing materials to which itmay be adhered.

In making the dried, foamable product it is preferred -to incorporate the lfoamable resinous composition in a carrier that can be volatilized at temperatures Well below the foaming and/or curing temperature. For example, a foamablepolyvinyl yalcohol resin orphenolic resin cornposition can be incorporated in a low Vboiling'nar'llitha (butane fraction) or in methylene dichloride.V These carriers can be volatilized readilybelow the foaming temperatures of the compositions and, in the case of the phenolic composition, also below its curing temperature.

Preferred embodiments ofthe invention have been described in considerable detail. It will be understood thatthe description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. For example, it may be lfound desirable to provide the battmatrixwith a suitable backingmaterial, such as cheese cloth, kand this can be accomplished byivplacing. the bacldngimaten'alion the batt matrix before it is bonded with the adhesive as above described. Also, the character of .the'foama-ble material, resin, rubber, etc., may tbe varied, although the fo-arnable resins are preferred because of their commercial availability and low oost. It will therefore be apparent thatthepresent invention is not to be limited to the' specific structure, materials'and methodsdescribed except as limited by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A 'method Vof making a foamed resin, fiber-reim foamed resin surrounds-and is reinforced by fibers of a loose fibrous batt and in which the porous Apad retains substantially the void lformation of said battwhich comprises the steps olf dipping a non-woven, adhesive bonded ,batt in avheat foamable liquid resincomposition, saidbatt comprising a plurality of loosely intermingled bers bonded in random, three-dimensional karrangement and 'forming therebetween a vlabyrinth of interconnecting voids, at least-a substantial portion `of said fibers being Aof greater length than lthe ,thickness of the batt with some of said fibers extending transversely throughout the depth of the battto tie the batt into an integral structure, squeezing out excess resin to limit resin substantially to aicoating on the fibers, heating the resin-containing batt free from any restraining meansy to a temperature suiiicient to foam the resin interiorly of said batt andaround .the fibers thereof, said resin, when foamed, being insuicient in amount tocompletely fill saidinterconnecting voids,and cooling the pad soformed.

2. A continuous method of making a lfoamed resin, liber-reinforced, unitary porous pad in which the foamed resin surrounds and is reinforced by fibers .of a loose fibrous .batteand in which the porous pad retains substantially the void formation of said Abatt which Vcomprises the steps of dipping la non-Woven porous adhesivebonded batt of random arranged fibers in a heat foamable liquid polyvinyl chloride resin composition, compressing ythe batt to squeeze out excess foamable resin-filling the voids ofthe batt butfnot that coating the iibers, heating the Vresin-containing batt suiiicient to vfoam the resin interiorly of .said batt and around the bers'thereof, and coolingfthe pad -so formed. v

3. A vcontinuous method of making a foamed resin, fiber-reinforced, unitary porous pad in which the foamed resin surrounds and is reinforced by iibers ofl a Aloose iibrous batt and inwhich the porous pad retains'fsubstantially the void 'formation of said batt which comprises the steps o'f impregnating a lnon-woven porous adhesive kbonded batt of random arranged fibers With a heat foam- -able resin composition, compressingthe batt to :squeeze out excess foamable resin filling thevoids of thebatt butnot that 'coating the fibers, heatingthe resin-containing batt toa temperature'suiicient to foam'the .resin interiorly of saidebatt and around the fibers thereo'and `cooling the pad so formed.

4. A foamed resin, liber-reinforced, unitary porous pad'comprising a iibrous Vbatt matrix 'having a plurality of normallyuncompressed synthetic bers'bonded with adhesivein intermingled, random, 'three-dimensional arrangement With atleastsome of'said fibers extending Vtransverselythroughout the depth 'of the'batt, dening a labyrinth of intercommunicating voids, and a foamed Ipolyvinyl chloride resin `compositionSadhered to and surrounding'thefibers of said batt matrix but not filling the 4said yvoidsto destroy their `intercommunication yand said foamed resin having voids within said -adhering foamed resin.

'5. A foamedresin, fiber-reinforced, unitary porous pad comprising a fibrous batt matrix having a lplurality of' normally uncompressed ylibers bonded with adhesive .With an elastic `adhesive in intermingled, random, threedimensional arrangement with at least some of said bers extending transversely throughout the 'depth of the batt, vdeiining a labyrinth 'of intercommunicating voids, 'and a foamed resin'composition adhered to and surrounding the fibersfjof said battmatrixbutenot filling the said voids -to destroy their intercommunication vandsaid foamed resin having voids Withinsaidadhering foamed resin.

-6. A foamed `resin, ber-reinforced, unitary-porous pad Vcomprising a iibrous batt matrix having a plurality of bersbonded with adhesive in intermingled, random arrangement todene `alabyrinth of intercommunicating voids, a'nd .a foamed resin composition adhered to and surroundingA the-lib'ers` of said batt matrixbut not filling the said voids to destroy their intercommunica'tion and 9 said foamed resin having voids within said adhering foarned resin.

7. In the production of a fiber-reinforced unitary porous pad, the improvement comprising coating the fibers of a loose iibrous batt comprising fibers bonded with adhesive in random three-dimensional arrangement and forming therebetween a labyrinth of intercommunieating voids, with a foamable resin composition without substantially filling said intercommunicating voids and then foaming said foamable resin internally of said batt to cause said resin to foam and grow outwardly away from said fibers into said intercommuncating voids, the

quantity of-said coating being insuicient when foamed to completely fill said intercommunicating voids.

8. A method of making a fiber-reinforced unitary porous pad which comprises the steps of impregnating a porous, adhesive bonded batt of random arranged fibers defining a labyrinth of intercommunicating voids with a heat foamable resin composition, limiting the quantity of resin composition to a coating on the fibers and to an amount insufficient to ll the voids and to destroy their intercommunication when the resin composition is foamed, and drying the impregnated structure to a manually handleable condition.

9. A foamable resin, fiber-reinforced, unitary porous pad comprising a brous batt matrix having a plurality of normally uncompressed fibers bonded with adhesive in intermingled, random, three dimensional arrangement with Iat least some of said fibers extending transversely throughout the depth of the batt, defining a labrinth of -intercommunicating voids, and a dry heat foamable resin References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES -PATENTS 1,922,444 Libbey Aug. 15, 1933 1,973,904 Knowland Sept. 18, 1934 2,140,062 Talalay Dec. 13, 1938 2,187,140 Faris et a1. Jan. 16, 1940 2,194,036 Talalay Mar. 19, 1940 2,256,034 Nottebohm Sept. 16, 1941 2,265,823 T alalay Dec. 9, 1941 2,293,927 Beal Aug. 25, 1942 2,293,928 Beal Aug. 25, 1942 2,339,142 Bodle'et a1. Jan. 11, 1944 2,461,942 Ten Broeck Feb. 15, 1949 2,580,202 Talalay et al. Dec. 25, 1951 2,673,824 Biefeld et al. Mar. 30, 1954 2,719,795 Nottebohm Oct. 4, 1955 2,719,802 Nottebohm Oct. 4, 1955 2,719,803 Nottebohm Oct. 4, 1955 2,719,806 Nottebohm Oct. 4. 1955 2,879,197 Muskat et al. Mar. 24, 1959 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent, No, 2972,55.L February 2li 1961 Irving E., MuskaLet al.,

lt is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered lpatent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as Corrected below;

Column 5, line 72, for I ,"Vinylafoam" V read "Vinyafoam" column 6,1 line 419Y for Unpaid read m pad column 7, line 29, for "allkyl" read e allyl m; column lO, line 2, for .'labrinth". read labyrinth me.,

Signed and sealed this 18th day of July- 1961.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer i Commissioner of Patents 

3. A CONTINUOUS METHOD OF MAKING A FOAMED RESIN, FIBER-REINFORCED, UNITARY POROUS PAD IN WHICH THE FOAMED RESIN SURROUNDS AND IS REINFORCED BY FIBERS OF A LOOSE FIBROUS BATT AND IN WHICH THE POROUS PAD RETAINS SUBSTANTIALLY THE VOID FORMATION OF SAID BATT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF IMPREGNATING A NON-WOVEN POROUS ADHESIVE BONDED BATT OF RANDOM ARRANGED FIBERS WITH A HEAT FOAMABLE RESIN COMPOSITION, COMPRESSING THE BATT TO SQUEEZE OUT EXCESS FOAMABLE RESIN FILLING THE VOIDS OF THE BATT BUT NOT THAT COATING THE FIBERS, HEATING THE RESIN-CONTAINING BATT TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO FOAM THE RESIN INTERIORLY OF SAID BATT AND AROUND THE FIBERS THEREOF, AND COOLING THE PAD SO FORMED. 